We got our hands on the Situ Bluetooth smart scale to see just how it can help you lose weight, get healthier and make being food conscious easy.

The idea behind the kickstarted Situ is to offer clear and accurate measurements of what you're putting into your body. But without having to work out everything manually. While calorie information is easy to find on some foods it's not so simple on fresh produce.

The Situ weighs whatever is placed on it and, using the connected app, shows what you can eat to stay within your goals.

How does it work?

After opening the app and turning on the scale you can either tap into categories to find the food you want or type in the search bar. We found the search option to be faster. Then you simply drag and drop the icon onto the virtual scale while placing the real world food onto the Situ scale. You can see live on screen just how many calories, fats, carbs and the like you are adding - it even includes vitamins and minerals.

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There is an option to add a plate to the scale and reset to zero. This way you can make a sandwich, for example, and it will add up everything you include as you build. That way you can hold back on that extra slice of ham or dollop of mayo if you can see you're near your fat intake limit for the day.

Every food item you use can be added to favourites so in future you can skip straight to that when selecting. This makes it easier to use Situ the more you do – ideal as a way to positively reinforce this healthy behaviour.

Smart settings

Everything in the Situ app can be adjusted. So you can have it set to government guidelines for food intake, or set your own.

If you're on a diet cutting down the carbohydrate or calorie numbers can be done in the settings. Then you simply stick to the amount you're allowed for each day.

It all takes a little longer than making food mindlessly but that's the key. It makes you think about what you're eating so you make smarter choices with your diet.

Devil in the detail

The food library of the Situ is immense with more detail than you might expect. For example when selecting tuna you not only get the option to weigh with tin or as fresh but also the different kinds of solution its stored in, like brine or oil for example.

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Our only gripe is that stuff like mixed salad from a bag is tough to measure as there's no mixed option. Perhaps the introduction of a barcode scanner would help here.

Situ did tell us that this is the first version of the software and there are plenty of updates due soon. The next update will include the ability to add custom foods as well as portion splitting.

Another issue is with the guidelines. While you can set your limits for the day, only one metric can be viewed in a thermometer icon on the page. So seeing how far over both your salt and fat intake you are isn't possible unless you have memorised the numbers. Perhaps this will be fixed in the next update of the app.

Conclusions

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The Situ smart scale is a brilliant idea. The device is clean and minimalist, like something designed by Apple. The app is attractive, comprehensive and easy to use.

This is the easiest way to track calorie and nutrient intake. That's presuming you own an iPad, as it currently only works with that.

The only problems are a few software glitches which should be ironed out as this kickstarted gadget gets updated. At £80 it's not cheap, but for the hassle it takes out of eating healthier, it's worth it. After all, can you put a price on health?